Player Ratings: Juventus 2-0 Benfica – McKennie revives Old Lady

Weston McKennie is Football Italia’s MOTM for Juventus’ 2-0 win over Benfica.

Di Gregorio 6.5 – One big save in the first half, which proved to be vital.

Kalulu 5.5 – Lost possession a couple of times in dangerous zones and won just two duels. A bit tired, probably, having played every minute under Spalletti.

Bremer 5.5 – A resolute defending performance before giving away a needless penalty, which, luckily for Juventus, Pavlidis awkwardly missed.

Kelly 6.5 – Accurate with the ball at his feet, always in the right place at the right time inside the box.

Cambiaso 6 – A steady but unspectacular performance with no big errors or big plays.  (70′ Cabal 5.5)

Thuram 7 – Scored a vital goal for Juventus, who had been struggling for some time before his strike. The Frenchman also made 47 touches and recorded 95% passing accuracy (via Sofascore).

Locatelli 6.5 – Not as accurate as Thuram with the ball at his feet, but he was very solid defensively with four clearances and five blocked shots. (86′ Koopmeiners N/A)

McKennie 7.5 – The USMNT international woke Juventus up in the second half. He had a big chance minutes before Thuram’s opening goal and then linked up with David to score the second of the night for the Bianconeri. Could have scored the second for himself as well, but hit the post after another excellent late run inside the box. MOTM.

Miretti 5 – Simply not quick enough in the final, no surprise he was subbed off during the break. A step back after some solid performances in recent Serie A outings. (46′ Conceiçao 6).

Yildiz 6 – Inspired Juventus’ attacks in the first half, even if, generally, he was not as dangerous as usual. (82′ Kostic N/A).

David 6.5 – One might criticise him for a missed opportunity in the first half, but the Canadian was still involved in both Juventus goals, providing the assist for McKennie. (70′ Openda 6).

Coach: Spalletti 7 – Bringing on Conceiçao at halftime and shifting McKennie into a central role proved to be a smart tactical adjustment. In the last two games, he won when he played badly and lost when he played well. Surely, he prefers nights like these even if his side struggled to cope with Benfica’s high press for big parts of the game. He even argued with a home fan during the match, but earned three vital points that keep hope for Round of 16 qualification alive.

Benfica: Trubin 7; Dedic 6, Otamendi 5.5, Tomas Araujo 5.5, Dahl 5; Barreiro 6, Aursnes 5.5; Prestianni 5.5 (77′ Rego N/A), Sudakov 6.5 (69′ Barrenechea 6), Schjelderup 6 (69′ Ivanovic 5.5); Pavlidis 5. Coach: Mourinho 6.